How Long Can You Drive with a Blinking Engine Light?

Engine light can blink for various reasons. It can indicate a fairly serious issue with the engine. The engine check light usually comes on if the unburned fuel gets into the exhaust system of the engine and if the engine misfires.

The check engine light can start blinking in the middle of a trip, where mechanics are hard to find. So, you might want to know how long you can drive with a blinking engine light. Let’s find the answers to all your queries about blinking engine lights.

How Long Can You Drive With A Blinking Engine Light?

You can drive 30 to 100 miles with a blinking engine light. However, the check engine light usually blinks if there is an issue with the engine. So, when the engine light blinks, you should take your car to a car mechanic as soon as possible to prevent any serious damage to the engine.

You can not drive with a blinking engine light for a very long time. You shouldn’t drive more than 100 miles with a blinking engine light.

If you do so, you can risk damaging your car and risk your safety as the car can malfunction even when you are driving quite fast.

The engine check light generally starts blinking when there is a problem in the engine. It turns on to indicate that the engine needs servicing.

The issues that usually make the engine check light turn on are engine misfires, unused fuel getting into the exhaust system, and damage in the spark plug.

If you drive the car for a long period of time, the engine’s problems will only increase, which will eventually reduce the lifespan and functionality of the engine.

When the engine check light is on, the engine can malfunction and misfire when the car is at a speed. So, it will be somewhat dangerous to drive a car for a long time with an engine light blinking.

That being said, if the engine light blinks for more than six seconds, then the engine’s issue is extremely serious. In this case, you should immediately stop the car and pull over the car safely, and seek help immediately from an auto repair shop.

Is a flashing engine light bad?

The flashing engine light indicates that there is a problem with the vehicles’ engine. When the check light of the engine turns on, the car should be taken immediately to an auto repair shop to prevent any permanent damage. So, the flashing engine light is definitely bad.

The engine light flashes for numerous serious reasons. It can occur if the spark plug of the engine is worn out, burnt, or damaged.

The engine check light will also turn on if the engine starts to misfire and needs servicing immediately. It can also occur if the unused fuel in the engine goes back to the exhaust system, causing the engine to malfunction.

When the engine light blinks, you should stop the car immediately and check if there is any serious issue with the car. Otherwise, you may endanger yourself as the engine can misfire in the middle of the road.

Is it safe to drive with engine light flashing?

It is definitely not safe to drive with engine light flashing. If you drive a car with engine light blinking, you can risk the safety of yourself and your car.

This is because the check light comes on only when there is a problem in the engines’ mechanism and the engine starts to malfunction.

The engine check light is engineered in such a way that it indicates that there is some problem in the engine. It usually indicates that the spark plug is damaged or the engine is misfiring.

When you drive with engine light flashing, your vehicles’ engine can misfire in the middle of the road.

The engine can misfire and the car can suddenly stop when you are driving quite fast, even at 30 miles per hour or above. So, if you drive with engine light flashing you can face some serious accidents.

Can I drive long-distance with the engine light on?

You shouldn’t drive long-distance with the engine check light on. The engine light doesn’t turn on without any reason. It indicates that there is some serious problem with the engine of your vehicle.

The engine light starts blinking when there is a problem in the exhaust system, mechanism, or spark plugs of the engine.

If you drive with a malfunctioning engine for a long time and cover a long distance, then you will risk damaging your cars’ engine permanently.

You shouldn’t also drive long-distance with the engine light so that your car doesn’t stop in the middle of the road and you don’t encounter any accidents.

When the engine light is on, the car can malfunction and stop even when you are driving at a good speed, which can cause serious accidents.

How far can you drive with a blinking engine light?

How far you can drive with a blinking engine light depends on how long the engine check light is blinking. The check engine light will blink for a long period of time if the engines’ problem is severe.

If the engine checks light blinks for less than two to three seconds, then you can drive the car up to 100 miles. You should take the car to an auto repair shop as soon as possible even if the check light is flashing for a couple of seconds.

When the engine light stays on for six seconds or more, then you should immediately stop the car and call a car mechanic for help.

This is due to the fact that the check light only stays on for more than six seconds if the engine has major defects and it can misfire anytime.

What does it mean when the engine light flashes 3 times?

When the engine light flashes 3 times it usually indicates that there are a few problems in your engine. The check light flashes 3 times mostly when there is a serious defect in the engine and it needs immediate servicing.

Let’s find out what it actually means when the engine light flashes 3 times.

Worn out spark plugs:

The spark plug basically ignites the fuel to start the engine. It can get damaged or worn out after a certain period of time.

If the spark plug doesn’t function properly, the engine won’t start smoothly and will make the driving experience bad. The engine check light will blink three times when the spark plugs are damaged and not functioning properly.

Engine misfiring:

When the vehicle detects that the engine is misfiring, the engine check light flashes three times. If the misfiring level is extremely severe, the check light will flash even more than three times.

You should immediately take your car to an auto repair shop when the engine light blinks for engine misfiring. This is because your engine can misfire in the middle of the road, which can cause accidents.

Unused gas entering the exhaust system:

When the unburned fuel gets into the exhaust system of the engine, the engines’ system immediately detects it and the check light will blink three times.

You should repair the car immediately to prevent permanent damage to the engine from the clotting of unused fuels in the exhaust system.

How serious is a flashing engine light?

Flashing engine light is an extremely serious issue. The engine light flashes only when there is some defect in the engines’ mechanism or in the engine parts.

If you don’t address the issue which is causing the engine light to flash, you can do some serious damage to your vehicle. This is due to the fact that the problem will get severe day by day and it will reduce the lifespan of the engine itself.

One of the main reasons for the engine light to blink is engine misfire. When the engine misfires, the vehicle won’t start smoothly and at once, it will take a lot of time for the engine to start.

The vehicle can also stop suddenly, even in the middle of the road when the engine misfires. As a result, the flashing engine light is quite serious and the vehicle needs immediate servicing.

Final Thoughts

You should not drive for long with a blinking engine light. However, if necessary, you can drive up to 100 miles with the engine check light blinking. The car should be taken to an auto repair shop as soon as possible when the engine check light turns on.